Walt Nauta’s Facebook web page features a smiling portrait of the clean-cut, former Navy man in a darkish pinstriped go well with and tie in entrance of an American flag, a photograph of himself that he posted in November 2022.
He appears so sharp within the image {that a} good friend commented, “Walt Nauta for President 2024!”
Mr. Nauta, 40, has already served within the White House, as a army valet and constant private aide to President Donald Trump. He now stands charged with six legal counts and faces as much as a attainable 90 years in jail as the one different individual moreover Mr. Trump indicted within the case of mishandling labeled paperwork.
The Justice Department alleges that Mr. Nauta hid paperwork from investigators at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago membership in Palm Beach, Florida, and gave deceptive statements to authorities within the long-running probe.
Mr. Trump, and plenty of others, consider prosecutors charged Mr. Nauta to compel him to flip and testify in opposition to the previous president.
“He has done a fantastic job!” Mr. Trump mentioned in a social media publish. “They are trying to destroy his life, like the lives of so many others, hoping that he will say bad things about ‘Trump.’”
Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro tweeted, “This patriot and veteran is the pawn in weaponized DOJ’s game to get Nauta to turn against his Boss.”
The unprecedented legal case is a great distance from Guam, the U.S. territory within the South Pacific the place Waltine Torre Nauta was born within the city of Agat, inhabitants 4,900.
Relatives have described him as a “good boy” rising up, and he enlisted within the Navy in 2001.
From 2012 to 2021, Mr. Nauta served in Washington as a part of the Presidential Food Service, in keeping with his service file. He ultimately served within the military-staffed cafeteria for the Trump White House, rising by way of the Navy ranks to grow to be a senior Chief Culinary Specialist in 2021.
As president, Mr. Trump elevated him to a task as his army aide, additionally generally referred to as a “body man.” According to the federal indictment, Mr. Nauta helped to pack up containers for Mr. Trump when he moved out of the White House upon his loss to President Biden.
Mr. Nauta retired from the Navy after 20 years of service when Mr. Trump left the presidency. He relocated to Florida and have become Mr. Trump’s non-public government assistant in August 2021.
Acquaintances have described Mr. Nauta as a totally loyal, trusted and low-key aide to Mr. Trump.
“The proudest moment he ever had was being named valet to the president and sadly the president he got named valet for was Trump,” mentioned former Trump White House legal professional Ty Cobb.
Mr. Cobb described Mr. Nauta as “dutiful” and mentioned he feels sorry for him within the authorized predicament.
“I think Walt is easy prey for the president because this is a dedicated patriot,” he mentioned.
Acquaintances of Mr. Nauta contacted by The Washington Times declined to remark for this story.
Mr. Cobb mentioned of the Trump aide’s determination to not cooperate with prosecutors, “I think it’s really sad that people were not able to convince him of his misplaced loyalty. He should be a witness. He shouldn’t be a defendant. But you can only dangle that opportunity for so long before you have to shoot. So I think it’s tragic.”
Some of Mr. Nauta’s kinfolk in Guam weren’t conscious of his indictment for about two weeks till they have been contacted by The Washington Post, as a result of that they had misplaced electrical energy from a hurricane that hit the island.
His aunt Elly Nauta instructed the paper of his service to Mr. Trump, “All he was instructed was to put the boxes [of documents] where they were supposed to go.”
Mr. Nauta didn’t enter a plea in federal courtroom in Miami this week. He didn’t have a neighborhood lawyer with him and can be arraigned as a substitute on June 27. In the meantime, a decide has ordered him to not discuss to different witnesses.
• This article relies partially on wire-service experiences.
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